The Big Game
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day 836a: Mike is trying to be the supportive boyfriend but he worries about Tina playing football.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 39th cycle. Now cycle 40!_

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><p><em><strong>INTRODUCING "CHEAT SHEET" - <strong>If you want to know ahead of time when a certain series will be updated next, just reassemble the link below and check out the list, save it, print it, bookmark it, whatever you need!  
>Go to: <span>gleekathon [dot] tumblr [dot] com [slash] cheatsheet<span>_

_** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 40 CHEAT SHEET ** Check it out to find out about **shift days**, starting in cycle 40!_

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><p><em><strong>This is a shift day [see above].<strong> There will be another upload this afternoon: The Ties That Bind, chapter 10._

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><p><strong>"The Big Game"<br>Mike/Tina  
>Prequel to "Courage With Both Hands" <strong>

She had been happy, anxious about this whole idea about helping during the game, so he'd gone along with it. He figured it wouldn't be too bad, the game would come and go, it would be done… except he still had to hold his tongue in the time in between.

After they'd left Glee practice, Tina had grabbed on to his arm as they walked, going a mile a minute about the game. "At first I wasn't sure, you know, I've never played football, not for real…"

"What, I don't count?" he teased.

"You showing me how to catch and throw last summer doesn't count if all I'm going to do is lie down and not move," she pointed out. "So it's not like I'm really playing, I'm… playing dress-up and taking a nap…"

"You're going to look so small in that uniform," he couldn't deny the thought of it was making him smile.

"Stop," she laughed, tugging his arm. "I'm not going to look small, I'm going to look tough," she made an 'angry' face. He gave one in return, 'not buying it.' She tried to crank it up, which only made him laugh, throwing his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. "Hey!" she laughed.

"You're just sweet, hate to break it to you," he shook his head.

"I can be tough," she insisted.

"Not without being pissed off, can't lose that smile otherwise," he gave his own smile down to her and he got one back. "Wouldn't want to piss you off."

"Ha, but see, I can be tough," she pointed her finger at him.

"I thought you were just going to lie on the field," he reminded.

"I will, I am," she quickly replied. He couldn't see her eyes when she said it, and he honestly wished he had.

He trusted her, of course he did, it wasn't even anything like that, only…He knew her, and he didn't put it past her to have an idea in the back of her mind that she wouldn't tell him because she knew what he'd say.

He had played long enough, seen and got enough injuries to know how a game could go. Lying on the ground would definitely eliminate a number of possible injuries, but it could also create others. What if someone tripped over them, stepped on them… mistook their heads for a ball…

But after that there was the rest. There was that she was his girlfriend, the girl he loved… The thought of putting her in that equation was in no way geared toward her being a girl. But she was small, hadn't been trained in any way… This was not an environment she knew from up close and he was afraid that she wasn't grasping it.

It wouldn't sound like that if he said she shouldn't play. It would sound like the other thing, the girl thing. And if he knew for sure that she intended to lie there as planned, that would be one thing.

But more and more he was convinced that his thoughts had been right on point and that she intended to do more. If that was the case then his concerns were even further validated. The more determined she was, the harder it would be to convince her to back down. She had seen enough of his games to have an idea of how it went, and yes there had been that 'lesson' over the summer. But that wasn't an actual game, where an actual opponent wouldn't care if she was a girl, she'd just be another obstacle, and then what would happen?

He knew it was normal to worry, because he loved her, and it made him pause, ask himself if he was blowing things out of proportions because it was Tina, or if he was worrying exactly the right amount. Yes, Tina was usually happy and bubbly and she could lose no cuteness battle in his eyes, but she could still get that anger in her, really dig into something… She became a whole other person when she played video games… it was scary… But those guys would crush her, there was no way around that.

Now he was back to firmly believing he was worrying just the right amount.

He didn't want regrets. If he stayed silent and let events carry themselves out without saying anything, if she played and she got hurt, then he would feel as good as responsible.

Time was passing, the clock was ticking down to the moment when they'd go down to that field, and he still hadn't thought of what to tell her. He'd gone so far as to try and get the guys reinstated, even just four, even just… one… but no luck.

And the closer they got to game day, the more pumped she was getting… the more he was convinced she would try something if the opportunity presented itself. He was getting no closer and then all of a sudden… it was game day.

He got on the field, and then in came the girls… Tina looked so proud… Her strong face was getting better, but she still looked so small to him. She came up to him and she was all smiles, so he matched it.

"Titans!" she cheered, pushing on her toes to kiss him. "Bet you never thought you'd be kissing anyone in a football uniform, did you?" she teased.

"No," he laughed, then put his hands to her shoulders. "Be careful, okay?" he looked in her eyes. It was all he could say, all he could do. He would show her his love and hope she would find it in her to follow the safer path, even if the other way was more thrilling.

"I will be," she promised. "You, too. You're the one who'll be doing the actual running."

"I am, you're right," he nodded. "I'll be careful, too," he promised and she smiled, kissing him again.

"Good. Now, come on, let's go kick some ass! Or, you kick ass, and I'll just take a dive," she adjusted.

"Yeah, let's do that…" he hoped.

THE END

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><p><strong><strong>AN: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
><strong>**In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
><strong>******always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!********


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